(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding mobile communication terminal that has an image-taking function.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In recent years mobile communication devices such as mobile telephones have become increasingly multi-functional, and more recently mobile telephone devices having a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera are becoming common. Such cameras use a semiconductor photodetector element that converts light to an electric signal.
In such a portable telephone having a camera, the CCD camera is positioned on the back of the main body of the portable telephone, and an image of the subject taken by the CCD camera is displayed on an LCD screen positioned on the front of the main body. Therefore, the user can confirm through the screen display that the desired subject is in the view of the CCD camera before actually taking an image.
Note that “take an image” is used to denote forming an image of the subject on the photodetecting surface of the semiconductor photodetector through the lens of the camera and converting the formed image into image data.
However, since the LCD that displays the image of the subject taken by the CCD camera is positioned on the front of the main body of the portable telephone and the CCD camera is positioned on the back of the main body, when the user attempts to take an image of him/herself, he/she cannot look at the LCD to check in advance that the subject (i.e., the user) is in a position for an image to be taken as desired. This gives rise to a problem that the user cannot take an image of him/herself as desired.
Such a problem can be solved by making the camera rotatable to face the subject, but this results in an increase in the size of the portable telephone and highs costs because a flexible circuit board must be provided in the rotating unit. This is undesirable in portable telephones since importance is placed on compactness, light weight and low cost.